Europe: A Concise Encyclopedia

Europe is confusing. Institutions change name, such as the European Economic Community, or Common Market, or the European Union, and different institutions have similar names, such as the Council of Europe, the European Council, and the Council of Ministers. Relations between the institutions are complex and opaque, and the whole process is cloaked in technocratic jargon, acronyms, and endless initials. Yet everyone knows that the EU is important. This entertaining book clarifies the subject and gives an insight into the flavor of the institutions and key players of Europe.

Rodney Leach is a senior director of Jardine Matheson, one of the largest international trading companies in the world. Before that he was an academic at Balliol College, Oxford.